EHG6342 - Historic building and photographic surveys - Dalcharn, Bettyhill

A desk-based assessment and historic building and photographic Surveys were undertaken by L Jones at 49 Dalcharn (known as The Street), Bettyhill Highland in advance of a planning application for the redevelopment of the site. A Statement of Significance was required by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) as part of a Conservation Agreement. On site building recording revealed several phases of building, including earlier structures followed by those built according to the Estate Plans, with gable end fireplaces and cupboards, as well as later conversions and adaptations. The site at 49 Dalcharn/The Street, Bettyhill is of moderate significance as a pre-clearance settlement that has been subject to land management and the creation of crofts for the resettlement of families from the Strathnaver clearances. It holds potential for increasing archaeological knowledge about settlement of Sutherland prior to the 18th century and the development of local architectural techniques. It provides a local representation of the period of the Strathnaver clearances. Its remote setting provides an image of a way of life that was lost after the mid-20th century. <1>